You have no items in your shopping cart.
ABSTRACT
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is widely used as a sugar substitute in various food and beverage products, some studies have raised concerns about its potential health effects, particularly on lipid profile. This study aims to evaluate the effects of Aspartame on Lipid profiles. Twenty (20) Spargue-Dawley's rats weighing between 200-220kg were used. The rats were divided into five groups each containing 5 rats. Control did not receive any treatments, Group 1(Low dose) received 50mg/kg of aspartame dissolved in 5ml of water, Group 2(Mid Dose) received 75mg/kg of aspartame in 5ml of diluted water, Group 3(High dose) received 100mg/kg of aspartame in 5 ml of distilled water. The various doses of aspartame were administered orally daily for twelve (12) weeks. Weight of the rats were taken weekly, at the end of the experimental period, the rats were sacrificed, and blood samples collected into plain sample bottles. Lipid profile (total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C and triglyceride) were analyzed spectrophotometrically. Results showed that there was a significant difference in aspartame in LDL, Total cholesterol and Triglyceride levels (100mg/kg when compared with control), but no significant difference in HDL Levels. In Conclusion, Increased consumption of aspartame led to spikes in some of the lipid profiles (Total cholesterol, Triglyceride, LDL-C), Elevated LDL-C could lead to increased cardiovascular risks and elevated Triglyceride levels could lead to metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes.
